
For the first time in five years, an Australian will not feature during the second week at Wimbledon after 29-year-old Chris O’Connell fell short of a fourth-round place after losing to American rising star Christopher Eubanks.
In recent years the Aussies have produced strong campaigns at the All England Club with Nick Kyrgios producing a run last year which saw him as a finalist against Novak Djokovic.
Last year it was also Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler who also made runs to the fourth round along with Ajla Tomljanovic who advanced to the quarter finals in 2021 and 2022 while Ash Barty triumphed in 2021 with the Ladies singles title.
This year however, O’Connell remained the only Australian to reach the third round after defeating Hamad Medjedovic in the first round and also Jiri Vesely in the second round.
Speaking on Saturday after his loss, O'Connell conceded it was a missed opportunity that could have seen him reach the round of 16 at a major event for the first time.
“I mean it was an opportunity to make a fourth round, a second week, and my second chance at doing that,” he said.
Although the overall Australian campaign has been perhaps slightly deflating compared to previous years, O'Connell was the shining light and proved that he is a player that can continue to reach new heights as he climbs the rankings to a career high 65.
“This time last year I was just outside the top one hundred so to be in the sixties now, it’s pretty cool,” he said.
For O'Connell, this year’s Wimbledon will double as a major financial boost with his prize money to be worth upwards of $250,000.
With sufficient funds and a spike in confidence, O'Connell believes he will be able to continue his singles form after equalling his career best grand slam result.
“To do it again (third round) is just adding to that belief, I'm right in it now, I'm moving up the rankings and I can be competitive at all the touring events, and I can win rounds at slams, so it’s just more to build on," he said.
Overall, the Ladies singles saw just two Australians in the mix with Daria Saville and Storm Hunter both conceding their first-round matches.
On a positive note, Storm Hunter was able to progress through qualifying to solidify her first ever spot in the Wimbledon main draw at the age of 28.
Alexi Popyrin and Max Purcell were both unfortunately beaten in the first round of the tournament with Jordan Thompson, Aleksander Vukic and Jason Kubler all bowing out during their second-round matches.
Meanwhile Australia's top hope Alex de Minaur also failed to make it past the second round.
After a strong Wimbledon lead up at Queens, where he made the final de Minaur never hit his top form, evident by his reaction in his post-match press conference where he sat disappointed and flat.
“This one will obviously sit with me for a while. Yeah, I'm not happy at all,” he said.
“I'll try not to dwell on it, but it won't be easy.”
While dwelling on this years Wimbledon will not assist the Australian contingent, Chris O’Connell believes there is still reason to be excited about the quality of players currently on tour.
“It’s tough making a second week but we've got a lot of good players that are starting to knock on the door,” he said.
While there are no Australian’s remaining in the singles draw, the second week of Wimbledon promises to be fascinating with both defending champions Novak Djokovic (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and Elena Rybakina (2022). bidding to retain their titles.
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